Welcome to Peceptions, a place where I attempt to look at things from G-d's perspective. No...I'm not under the illusion that I know the thoughts of G-d. However, we can get a good idea from both the Word of G-d and by living a close relationship with him. It is an open forum and no moderation. Only rule: No Foul Language. Thanks again and feel free to comment.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement, the Highest Holy Day of two Jewish High Holy Days, the first High Holy Day being Rosh Hashanah. Yom Kippur falls ten days after Rosh Hashanah on the 10th of Tishrei (September-October) and begins at sunset today.

I know...what about Pesach and other feasts? Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are considered High Holy Days because they are strictly religious and not associated with other earthly events such as Pesach (Passover) and Shavuot (The Feast of Weeks or Pentecost).

The purpose of Yom Kippur is to bring about reconciliation between us and between individuals and G-d. According to Jewish tradition, it is also the day when God decides the fate of each human being. This is important to remember for our next blog entry.

Although Yom Kippur is an intensely holy and solemn day, it is viewed as a day of rejoicing, a day where we are reconciled to our enemies and G-d. If we have observed Yamim Noraim, the Days of Awe, (Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur) properly, we will have made peace with others and with God by the end of Yom Kippur.

The three essential components of Yom Kippur are:

Teshuvah (Repentance and forgiveness of our sins) Tefilah (Prayer, specifically for ourselves, friends and enemies)Ta'anit (Fasting, in order to purify ourselves)

It is a day that we rededicate our lives to G-d. Some say that we should do this everyday. True. However, how many of us do? Unfortunately, too many of us get bogged down in our day to day and forget the reason why we are here. Therefore, if you are one of us that need that yearly reminder, then use Yom Kippur as that day of reflection. The day to realign yourself with G-d. However, it's not beyond our capababilty to make everyday Yom Kippur.

Gemar Chatimah Tovah.(May your final sealing in the Book of Life be good)

Thursday, September 17, 2009

As the day closes tomorrow and ushers in another Shabbath, it brings with it the beginning of the new year. Rosh Hashanah means "beginning of the year". Rosh Hashanah also is the beginning of the Fall Feasts. Within scripture, we know it as Yom Teruah, the feast of trumpets or the feast of shofar blasts. It is also the half way mark of the religious calendar.

Tomorrow also marks the beginning of the ten days of awe which culminates at Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. Yom Kippur is followed by Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, the actual birthday of the Messiah towards the middle of the month.

Many believe that since the spring feasts were prophetic of the first coming of the Messiah, the fall feasts are also prophetic of his second coming. Over the holiday season, I would like you to join me in studying these feasts and their implications and meaning to the true body of Christ.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

“The greatest discovery for any Christian is finding that the Bible is not just simply 66 books penned by 40 authors over thousands of years, but an integrated message system, which bears evidence of supernatural engineering in every detail. The amazing part is that all of it points to one person and that is Jesus of Nazereth"

Chuck MisslerKoinonia House Ministries

Everyone has a moment in their life that they can point to that changed them forever. Mine is the moment that I heard the above quote. The bible went from a single dimensional boring book full of stories and laws to a living and breathing multi-dimensional reflection of the one who created it.

Thank you my Lord and my G-d for revealing this to me through your servant.

"He's Everything to meHe's more than a story More than words on a page of historyHe is the air that I breathe, the water I thirst for And the ground beneath my feetOh He's everything, everything to me"Avalon

Monday, September 14, 2009

Praise and worship is simply lifting up your love and adoration to God while acknowledging his deity and position and submitting yourself wholly unto him.

To praise G-d, we must proclaim his beauty, holiness, righteousness, etc. This can come in the form of singing and / or spoken word or living holy.

Our stature should be subservient in his presence. Kneeling, holy hands lifted high, sprawled out on the ground, etc. We can even dance for his pleasure in celebration of his glory. We can praise G-d by living out his love to others. Praise and worship is giving everything unto G-d

Once again, like prayer, it needs to flow from your heart and soul. It should be your words, your actions, not someone elses. G-d rejoices when you praise him from the heart.

You don't need someone else and you don't need a band. The best praise and worship that can be given unto G-d is when you let yourself be you.

By the way, if you want to read a good blog about Worship, please go here:

Be sure to read the comments. They are really good. They include comments from a Messianic Jewish Rabbi that goes by the name of Sh'ma Y'srael Goyim. It is amazing the chills you'll get when reading all the comments in context. I must admit that his comments and the responses to him left me in tears. This shows that the body of Christ needs the men and women of G-d to stand up and fill the gap right now. I hope I didn't embarrass you Sh'ma.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

I know. What about the Lord’s Prayer found in Matthew 6 and Luke 11? Well, my answer to that is found in Matthew chapter 6:9. The disciples came and ask Y'shua to teach them how to pray. Y'shua responded.

“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.”

“After this manner…” Otherwise, here is an example of what a prayer is like. He did not tell them to recite this prayer, word for word, every time. Remember, prayer is talking with G-d, not just saying words into the air.

Think about it. What would happen if, every morning, you came down to breakfast with your wife or husband and said the exact same words day in and day out. He or she would either sign you up for some therapy or start phasing you out. G-d does the same thing, because your heart is not in it.

Don't ramble on and on as fast as you can, filling every space with father-god or something to that effect or with a tone of voice like you're making a speech. Don't use packaged prayers. Don't use formulas such as A.C.T.S. It's ok to include elements of these, if they're from your heart. Honestly, how would you feel about the sincerity of your significant other if he or she constantly refered to a formula to ensure they included certain things about their feelings towards you.

In other words, just talk to G-d the way you talk to your best friend. G-d is the best friend you could ever have. When your done, sit back, relax and let him talk to you. Open you heart, mind and spirit to him. You'll be pleasantly surprised by the results.

Now, chances are, you are not going to hear an audible voice, not to say that it is not possible. G-d can and will communicate with you anyway he deems fit. Anyway, you will receive a message from G-d every time. G-d answers prayers.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

As you already know, Prayer is simply communicating with G-d. What you probably are not aware of is that it is a two way communication. It is easy to talk to G-d, but we need to talk with G-d.

As Christians, we normally conduct our prayers in a manner where G-d can’t get a word in edgewise. We ramble on without any desire to hear what G-d has to say. I prayed that way for years. Thinking back, I kind of wonder if G-d was sitting there saying, “Yada, Yada, Yada.” Of course, he wasn’t, but I wouldn’t blame him if he did.

In reality, G-d is a great listener and loves to hear from you. However, as I said before, prayer is a two way street. To get the full benefit, you have to be willing to sit there and listen too.

Monday, September 7, 2009

As my two week vacation is winding down, I’ve had a chance to sit down and evaluate some observations. Last week, while I was in Sequoia National Park, one of the rangers made a comment that I have heard before but never ran it to its logical conclusion. He indicated that a fire is required to release the seeds of certain pine cones. He went on to say that the pine cone had evolved to this point in order to prevent the animals from eating the seeds, thereby allowing the tree to propagate.

(INSERT THE SOUND OF SCREACHING BRAKES COMING TO AN ABRUPT HALT)

Come on……What kind of an idiot does Satan think we are?

First of all, I have to interject a premise of evolution for clarification. There is a thing called adaptation. This is where evolutionists believe that a species will evolve or adapt to their environment.

So what you are saying is:

1. The Sequoia tree began its life.2. Animals decided to eat the Sequoia seeds.3. The Sequoia decides to create a cone that only the heat from a fire can release in order to prevent the animals from eating the seeds.

Alright I’ll give the possibility of the adaptation part. However, the Sequoia lives for thousands of years. As a matter of fact, there is one Sequoia, I was able to touch that has been alive since before our savior walked upon this earth, 2300 years. Adaptation takes many lifetimes of a species in order to adapt to its environment. As with most species, there just isn’t enough time, even if we give the evolutionists the 15 billion years as the age of the universe.

Finally, notice that the ranger said, “The Sequoia Tree DECIDED….” When asked for clarification, he said that is what he meant. This is the most absurd part. Trees do not have any cognitive power. They simply respond to DIRECT stimuli. They don’t look down and see that an animal is eating its seeds and DECIDE to change it reproductive habits, especially one that requires a source such as fire to facilitate.

My favorite part is fire helping wood, which reveals that G-d has a sense of humor, but that's for another time.